Hawai‘i History
The History of Hawai‘i: From Kingdom to Statehood, and beyond
The present makes more sense when you understand the past. As this department grows, expect ASD to explore pre-contact Hawai‘i, Hawaiian Kingdom history, U.S. Annexation, Territorial days, Pearl Harbor, Statehood, the Hawaiian Renaissance and on into the modern era. We will celebrate the cultures, the people and landmarks that have made us who we are today.
News
The Ghost of a Queen
Queen Emma was instrumental in establishing the Anglican Church in Hawaii and in 1867, she founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls, to uplift the young women of Hawai‘i. The school meant the world to her, so is it any wonder that people claim to still see her presence there? Ghostly nuns and mysterious voices have also been encountered, spirits that seem more nurturing than frightening.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 12, 2026
Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons unveiled at Punahou School
The new center, named after the Hawaiian historian and scholar who taught at Punahou in the 1930s, replaces the school’s former Cooke Library. Aloha State Daily sat down with President Mike Latham to learn more about Pukui’s history at Punahou and in the broader community, as well as how her legacy continues to shape the next generation of students.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 12, 2026
'The Queen’s Will' premieres in Honolulu
The world premiere of a new play, “The Queen’s Will,” is headed for Kumu Kahua Theatre. Playwright Sean T.C. O’Malley shares how more than 500 articles helped inspire the show, which takes the stage for the first time this month.
Katie HellandAugust 08, 2026
Castle High School kicks off 75th anniversary with community event
Last week, the public high school in Kāneʻohe celebrated its 75th anniversary with an open house free to the public, complete with food trucks, vendors and live performances. This was the first event of a few planned for the school year, which will culminate in March. Aloha State Daily spoke with Principal Bernadette Tyrell, Ph.D., as well as teachers, alumni and students who helped put together this fundraiser.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 07, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: The first on Kaka‘ako’s Automobile Row
Shiny, new high-rise condos are popping up all over Kaka‘ako, and it isn't the first time a trend changed the neighborhood. In the 1950s, the new kids on the blocks were car dealerships. The first of these, in 1958, was for Volkswagen.
DeSoto BrownAugust 07, 2026
Beneath the Sand at Hūnānāniho
Waimānalo is one of the earliest human settlements on O‘ahu, dating back as much as a thousand years. For Native Hawaiians, it was a pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge. Later the area hosted a sugar plantation then a military airfield. In 2021, the City and County of Honolulu restored Waimānalo Bay Beach Park's traditional name, Hūnānāniho. Some say that's not the only presence from the past that walks the beach when the moon is just right.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 05, 2026
Honolulu's restaurant corner
With its high traffic and visibility, the corner of Kapi‘olani Boulevard and Kalākaua Avenue has attracted a series of legendary eateries over the decades. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown revisits them all — Kau Kau Korner, Coco's, Hard Rock Café (much of the latter's building now serving as the home of Chick-fil-A's only sit-down restaurant).
DeSoto BrownJuly 30, 2026
Secrets of the Scottish Rite Cathedral
ASD's ghost and history columnists themselves had a very strange experience giving a tour of Makiki's Scottish Rite Cathedral. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry was welcomed into the Islands in 1874 by King David Kalākaua and John Owen Dominis, husband of Queen Lili‘uokalani. Its members have a long history of service to community, with an air of Masonic mystery.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 29, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: The first high-rise
Perhaps no urban Honolulu neighborhood has changed more over the past 50 years than Kaka‘ako. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown looks back on the changes, starting with the skyline, which used to boast but a single high-rise building. That has certainly changed! The condo 1350 Ala Moana once stood as a landmark and now is lost in the crowd.
DeSoto BrownJuly 23, 2026
New book features Hawaiʻi film spots
A new book, set to release in August, highlights the movies and television series that have been filmed on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Lānaʻi, Molokai, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi. Written by Ed Rampell and Luis Reyes, the book explores the cinematic histories of spots across the state, including shoutouts for recent film productions, such as "Chief of War" and Disney's live-action "Moana."
Katie HellandJuly 22, 2026
Night Marchers at the Naniloa
Babe Ruth and President Franklin D. Roosevelt are among the Mainland luminaries who planted banyan trees along Banyan Drive. The history of the Hilo area surrounding the Naniloa Hotel goes back to ancient times, and as hotel staff tell it, on some nights the old days come marching through in a mist.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 22, 2026
Silent Spirits at the Hilo Hawaiian
Life thrived along Hilo Bay and Waiākea Peninsula, with abundant taro lo‘i, fish ponds, for centuries before Western contact. Spiritual life was ever-present and the landscape was dominated by the towering Kūakaʻananuʻu heiau, where men were sacrificed in elaborate ceremonies. Now the site is home to Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, and guests share stories of spectral visitors from long ago.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 15, 2026
Kooky Rental Cars!
ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown takes us on a spin behind the wheels of the wacky, colorful rental cars that tourists loved in 1960s Hawai‘i. Open-air jeeps and dune buggies, these vehicles came from such exotic places as England, Italy, France and Toledo, Ohio. They all promised a fun time in the Islands.
DeSoto BrownJuly 14, 2026
Huaka‘i Pō at Pu‘ukoholā
It is said that Kamehameha himself helped build the Pu‘ukoholā heiau, a massive undertaking that involved a human chain 20 miles long passing stones from Pololu Valley to Puʻukoholā. Once completed and consecrated, Kamehameha's kahuna had said, the heiau would mean the successful end to Kamehameha's wars of conquest. Naturally, tales of night marchers — Huaka‘i Pō — still haunt the area.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 08, 2026
Aloha Tower at 100 years old, Part 2: It seemed like a good idea at the time ...
In the early 1960s, the State of Hawai‘i invested millions in harbor upgrades that included modernizing Aloha Tower as a terminal for passenger liners. But jet planes soon replaced passengers liners, rendering the terminal obsolete. In the 1990s, those structure were torn down to create Aloha Marketplace, a shopping and dining destination that would never draw the anticipated crowds. ASD history writer DeSoto Brown brings us to the present day as Aloha Tower celebrates its centennial.
DeSoto BrownJuly 06, 2026
From Waipahu to Italy: Remembering Staff Sgt. Grover Kazutomi Nagaji
Born and raised in Waipahu, Nagaji joined the U.S. Army on March 25, 1943. He became a proud member of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), 34th Infantry Division, and trained at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. One year later, he was deployed to Europe, where he saw action in Italy as part of the Allied campaign against German forces.
John DekhaneJuly 03, 2026
Olivet Baptist Church on Beretania Street turns 100
Senior Pastor Jamie McElrath shares about the church’s history in Honolulu and his hope for the congregation’s future: “A healthy body will grow.” Olivet Baptist will be celebrating this milestone with events open to the community over the weekend.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJuly 03, 2026
Community Voices: Commercial fishing is not a cultural practice
Rather than framing ocean protection as a burden, we should instead ask why Pacific Island peoples, and our protected and sacred oceans, are forced to bear the unfair burden of industrial fishing, write two members of the Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group.
Hau‘oli Lorenzo-Elarco and Kenika Lorenzo-ElarcoJuly 01, 2026
Moanalua’s Haunting History
If an old Hawaiian woman asks you to cut a cord for her in Moanalua Valley, be very, very careful what you do next. That's just once of the eerie tales of this part of O‘ahu where many battles have raged, from the invasion of Kahekili from Maui to the dispute over the route of H3.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 01, 2026
Aloha Tower at 100 years old: Part 1
A hundred years ago, Aloha Tower was built as an intentional landmark for the bustling harbor where all visitors to O‘ahu arrived, and that plan worked, as it quickly became synonymous with Hawai‘i itself. In part one of our look back at the tower's history, ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown takes us from the creation of the tower to just after WWII.
DeSoto BrownJuly 01, 2026
Remembering Hawai‘i's bicentennial license plates
For the first time in 1976, Hawai‘i license plates transformed into something beyond just letters and numbers on a colored background. They became the state's first graphic plates, designed to be attractive and convey their times. Across the country, these bicentennial plates paved the way for license plates with artistic flair.
A. Kam NapierJune 30, 2026
Legends and Spirits of Polihale
At the end of an unpaved, 5-mile road on Kaua‘i's west side is Polihale Beach. It is many things — a treasured local hangout, a visitor attraction that's gaining popularity, and, in ancient Hawaiian tradition, it is a jumping-off place for souls seeking the afterlife. Eerie stories abound about it.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJune 24, 2026
The saga of the fountains
The fountain we all know and love near the Diamond Head end of Kapi‘iolani Park is not the first fountain in the area, nor is it in the original location of the first fountain. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown takes us through the fountain's story, all the way back to its original source — Imperial Japan.
DeSoto BrownJune 18, 2026
The Choking Ghost at OCCC
As if prison wasn't scary enough, prisoners and guards alike at O‘ahu Community Correctional Center have many tales of a choking ghost stalking the facility, as well as other apparitions.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJune 17, 2026